The Brain Training series has been big business for Nintendo, and has therefore seen rival titles emerge to compete for our brain time. The latest to enter the fray is Square Enix — collaborating with IQ specialists Mensa — to try and help us make the most of our grey matter.

Mensa Academy is set to arrive in Europe and PAL regions on 27th July, with 3DS and Wii listed as platforms along with a number of others: no announcement yet on a North American release. It sounds very similar to the Nintendo-published series, and is likely to find an audience among those that enjoyed the DS titles. Maybe the visual exercises will be easier with three dimensions to look at.

London (May 30th, 2012) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products and Barnstorm Games, today announce Mensa Academy, a new brain training game that will give players the ultimate grey matter workout.. Mensa Academy will be available from July 27th 2012 in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and PAL regions for Nintendo® Wii™ and 3DS™, Windows PC platforms, Smartphones and in the near future for HD consoles, Android and iOS.

The game will be packed with a series of fun and stimulating mini-games and challenges, filled with questions endorsed by Mensa, the renowned global high IQ society

“Mensa Academy brings something unique to the brain training game market,” stated Roger Cheung, Head of Acquisitions, Square Enix Europe. “We have teamed up with Barnstorm Games to bring this title, developed in cooperation with Mensa, to market in the UK and PAL regions. Mensa Academy is the most credible game of its kind to date from the definitive experts in the field of measuring and fostering intelligence. The power of the mind is fascinating, the real challenge is how to best maximise its potential. Mensa Academy tangibly tackles this in a user-friendly way, whilst providing hours of entertainment.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with Square Enix for the release of our Mensa Academy title in the UK and PAL regions,” stated Simon Jeffrey, CEO of Barnstorm Games. “It was important for us to produce a product that exudes the authority of the Mensa brand, whilst providing a vibrant and entertaining environment in which players can train, take the test and challenge their friends.”

Created in collaboration with Mensa, Mensa Academy offers players the ability to determine and improve their score in Play, Coach and Test modes. Play mode challenges players to take on 100+ replayable levels in five disciplines— Numeracy, Language, Logic, Memory, and Visual, packed with questions. For further training, players can use Coach mode to hone their abilities and assess their progress in key disciplines before taking their skills to the next level in taking the Test and discovering their Mensa Academy score; will all that brain training have paid off?

“It’s fantastic to be working with Barnstorm Games and Square Enix to bring Mensa Academy to the market,” said John Stevenage Chief Executive, British Mensa Ltd. “Not only does the game encourage brain training and challenge the mind it is a great deal of fun for all age groups.”

For more information about Mensa Academy, visit http://www.mensaacademy.com. Mensa Academy is developed by Silverball Studios and Barnstorm Games and published by Square Enix Europe.